Kiko Henriques:The Golden Boy

Deciding between two passions is never an easy task. Even more so when you are young, promising and talented. Football might have been the priority before, but the fashion world clamoured louder and today the clicks of the camera are what attract Francisco’s attention. He is known as Kiko to his friends.

Wild curls and tender looks catch everyone’s eye. Afterwards, an irreverent personality makes all the difference, according to him. At just 22 years of age, his career has taken off with a bang. It all started with a competition in 2014. The end of football, but the beginning of a new world. “At one point I had to choose between the two, and it was not easy at all. I know now that I made the right decision. Fashion has brought me many good things. It has taught me a lot.”

The agency – Central Models – put Kiko in the limelight, after he competed in a competition that he did not win. The first campaigns started to trickle in, little by little. Then came the national fashion weeks: “I remember my first fashion shows at Portugal Fashion and ModaLisboa, because it was the first time I had modelled on the catwalk.” His progression to the international scene did not come immediately. Kiko says that the first time he travelled to an international fashion week … he did not model in any show. “I arrived in Milan, participated in the castings and didn’t get to model in any show. But this episode taught me a lot. In fashion, nothing is instantaneous. It just made me work harder… and the following season I walked the catwalk for Armani, Balmain and Hermès”.

Today, we can say that Kiko fills the world with fragrance. In 2017, he was announced as the face and ambassador of the new Pacco Rabanne fragrance, a brand that has given him national and international exposure. “There are no words to describe how I felt when they called me and told me I had been selected. I wasn’t expecting it, because the casting was very restricted”.

But … When a model makes it to the (much) desired perfume ads… what more is there for him to do? “I think there is a great deal left for me to do. I was never interested in doing perfume. I’ve always wanted to work with great photographers and great magazines, and that’s still my goal.” In May 2017, the model was awarded the Golden Globe in Portugal for Best Male Model.